Hi all. Newbie here in the focus crowd. Picked up a 2013 SE Hatch for relatively cheap, got the extended bumper to bumper on it. I went into the dealer knowing about DCT and the "quirks" of its quasi-manual feel. That being said, I don't notice it a ton because I went into the mentality I had to do the following:
- Deliberate on throttle. I often in stop and go leave a few feet more in front when period periods of acceleration are had. I don't gun it but I give it juice and hold it. Seems fine when doing this
- If above can't be done, due to stop and go traffic, I will get at least the 1st switched to 2nd but giving a quick jolt, letting the throttle go while it still rises and give the car time to shift. That's not usually necessary

Hope that goes well. If she's never driven a manual transmission then learning to do that first might make it easier for her to understand why it matters with a DCT.

Getting a car that my wife would be happier to drive than all of the manual transmission cars I've owned in the past is the main reason I considered getting my Focus with a DCT. She does great driving a manual, since that's what she learned to drive with, but she just doesn't like having to do it. I decided it would be easier for her to drive a real manual than an "automatic" that she had to treat like a manual, especially since she'd only drive it occassionally after driving her car with a torque converter most of the time.

Besides, the correct driving technique only helps avoid the "quirks" of the design. No special driving technique can reverse the symptoms of leaking oil seals or DCT hardware failures or software bugs.

Congrat's on your new to you Focus, and fingers crossed that it'll continue to be one of the "good ones".

Hope that goes well. If she's never driven a manual transmission then learning to do that first might make it easier for her to understand why it matters with a DCT.

Getting a car that my wife would be happier to drive than all of the manual transmission cars I've owned in the past is the main reason I considered getting my Focus with a DCT. She does great driving a manual, since that's what she learned to drive with, but she just doesn't like having to do it. I decided it would be easier for her to drive a real manual than an "automatic" that she had to treat like a manual, especially since she'd only drive it occassionally after driving her car with a torque converter most of the time.

Besides, the correct driving technique only helps avoid the "quirks" of the design. No special driving technique can reverse the symptoms of leaking oil seals or DCT hardware failures or software bugs.

Congrat's on your new to you Focus, and fingers crossed that it'll continue to be one of the "good ones".

Thanks. I was gonna take it to the dealer eventually to at least get the newest software on (figure why not). Wife not a huge fan, but it's basically my car. I understand how the car works, unfortunately my wife doesn't (yet).

Having to do that certainly makes low speed stop and go traffic a pain in the ass. In a manual you would just get rolling and coast, sometimes without even touching the accelerator, yet the clutch would be fully engaged. So... is there any reason why it can't be modified for quicker engagement or something?

If I'd known it was such an issue I would have steered clear of the DCT and not got this particular car to be honest (I still would have got a Focus most likely!) Not that I'm fear mongering here, but it does seem to be a genuine issue, and I'm worried ending up with a bill of thousands.

Thanks for the information on this thread, I used it as a reference for my shuddering trans on my newly bought used 2014 focus. Only issue was bringing it to the dealer, they decided I needed a new clutch to swap out on it.. With a 15 week wait :(

I've posted here that I've adjusted my driving technique to the quirk DCT but I'm wondering if the thing is working right. The downshifts are really annoying. It's as if I'm driving a manual, partially push in the clutch, rev it to redline, and then dump the clutch to engage completely. Seems like the while process take like 5 seconds. Prolly not but seems that long. Does every Focus DCT behave this way?

I've posted here that I've adjusted my driving technique to the quirk DCT but I'm wondering if the thing is working right. The downshifts are really annoying. It's as if I'm driving a manual, partially push in the clutch, rev it to redline, and then dump the clutch to engage completely. Seems like the while process take like 5 seconds. Prolly not but seems that long. Does every Focus DCT behave this way?

I found his/her post hard to read, but it seems like clutch slip, which would indicate either a contaminate (oil) causing it to slip, or your clutch has overheated and burnt out. That or your TCM needs sorting.

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